Degree VS Certification: Pros/cons?

Alright, I'm lacking some serious motivation. I'm in precalc, learning the "identities" of sin cos tan etc... and find no acedemic value in them whatsoever. I know it could be used in programming mathematics (programming sin, but somone has already done that...), but when am I ever going to use it??

Furthermore, I hear being certified can land a job... is this true or should I just get a degree?

If I could get certified, what would be the pros/cons against an bachelor's degree??

Would purely certification land a different job than a degree, and if so, different how?

Knowing how to use sin and cos sees heavy use in graphics programming. Sure most likely someone has programmed their implementations already but they will be of no use to you if you don't understand them.

As for the degree vs certification question I can't really comment on that but in my opinion a degree will almost always outweigh a certificate. It's not to common for a company to throw your resume in the trash if you don't have a certain certificate though they do it all the time if you don't have a degree.

+1 Zereo. The degree will greatly aid you in getting a foot in the door. If you have the time, getting both will be great though. Seems like gov jobs don't often require a degree for entry level, though.

Now, in the systems and networking admin world, certs are the way to go. But even then, a degree requirement wouldn't be surprising. Anymore, a degree is expected. It's up for debate whether or not this is always a good thing... Just how the world is starting to work.

Please inspire me... I'm at a low point... got a cruddy kid working on his masters who seems to teach like we are fellow peers of equal intelligence (he leaves gaping holes in his lessons... I just stopped listening and am using Kahn academy now). I am growing evermore bitter.

Tell him that... If you don't understand something or if he is teaching in a way that is not understandable and you don't let him know most likely he doesn't know anything is wrong. Talk to him about it and I am sure he can help work something out.

In my experience nothing good comes from keeping quite when you are having trouble understanding something. The only person it hurts by not speaking up is you.

I assume you are talking about college courses so talk to someone in your college about it (There are plenty of people that would be able to help). Because they are in the best position to help you and make sure you get the knowledge you need (Whether it be by talking to the TA about his teaching methods or by giving you tutoring or something else completely). We really can't do much since we are just random people on a internet forum...

My friend has recently gone to University to study computer science, and his course incorporates some business into it as well, so you may be more balanced out. You'll understand how businesses use systems and how to design them your self.